The Turnbo Manuscripts

by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925

Jerry Turner son of Bradley and Mary (Harris) Turner who was born on
Bear Creek 1 ½ miles below the mouth of Cheaten Creek in Boone County,
Ark. November 18th, 1849, gives this bit of history of Bear Creek.

"When I can first remember" said he, "Charley Whitely
a Baptist preacher who lived on Bear Creek was the first man I ever heard
preach. John Matlock (Medlock) was the man that owned the little mill on
Bear Creek. West Moulden and Sterling Barker also lived on Bear Creek. Henry
Thompson lived at Bear Creek Springs and is supposed to be first settler
there. Zempsey Thomas lived 1 ½ miles north of the springs. Tile
first school I ever attended was taught on Bear Creek one mile below where
my father lived by Mrs. Katie Harris wife of William Harris. The school
was taught in a small round log house with stick and dirt chimney and small
poles were placed on the roof to hold the boards down. I only attended this
school 9 days and I reached A base in the Blue Back Spelling Book at the
end of the last day. I remember that John McCoys three children, Nick,
Catherine, and Mary and two of Lize Matlocks (Mealock) boys, Smith
and Bill went to this school at the same time I aid. "I recollect"..
said Mr. Turner, "When the emigrant train organized in the fall of
1856 and the early spring of 1857 and started to California and who were
murdered at Mountain Meadows in September 1857." Among those that belonged
to the train and was killed was John Beach aged 21 years. His parents lived
on the Beach Farm on Kings River near the Beach iron works near where Osage
Creek flows into Kings River. John had a brother named Abe and a sister
named Susan. John was a remarkable fellow. He was only 4 feet 6 inches tall
and would put a silver dime on his big toe nail and stoop forward without
bending his legs and lick the money off of his toe with his tongue. He was
also able to bend his body and legs backward and pick up a brass pin from
the floor without touching his hands to anything to prevent him falling
over. Well about the wild beast. I will say that there were no lack for
them on Bear Creek. I was just 3 years old when I seen my first bear, which
happened in this way:

My father and mother, Turn Walker and Mary Ann his wife were going along
the side of the field one day near our house. My father was carrying me
in his arms when all at once there was a disturbance among the hogs. The
bunch was rallying while one of them was squealing. I recollect that father
put me over the fence on the inside of the field and the two men and two
women started in haste toward the hogs leaving me to cry as loud as I could
which I did. My father and Walker thought it was wolves that got in among
the hogs and they had run to scare them away. We had one dog we called Guess
and he ran ahead and began baying when the men and women approached near
enough they found that it was not wolves but a bear which had killed a shoat
by the time they reached there and had it up in his arms going off with
it, but the dog and men and women made the beast drop it and his bearship
made his escape for the time. They picked up the shoat and come back where
they had left me and we all went to the house and the men and women drened
the shoat and weighed It which was 30 pounds. In a few days afterward Charley
White shot and killed a bear in his field near John Matlocks (Medlock)
mill which weighed 400 pounds neat. My father and others said that they
were confident that this was the same bear that killed the shoat."